Job Description: Project Coordinator for School Awards (3-4 days per week)

The charity

Our vision is that young people in the UK be given the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential, irrespective of wealth or family background. The Foundation’s overall mission is to promote in young people their own personal, mental and physical development through providing opportunities to complete self-created non-curricular challenges.

We currently deliver our vision through two main schemes, a School Award scheme for 16-18-year olds, and a Major Award scheme for 19-25-year olds, both of which provide expenses- funding for participant’s proposed schemes.

Through the School Award scheme, we invite students in our partner state schools (currently in the London area) to design, plan and apply for funding of up to £500 per application to carry out personal challenges of their own choosing. We are distinctive because we ask our applicants to choose something difficult and challenging that they really want to do, and then ask them to research and propose their activities and cost them, as well as carrying them out: they take ownership and responsibility from the beginning, and the process ‘brings out the best’ in a wide range of students. Awards are given to the strongest proposals. The wide range of proposals supported can be seen on the home page of the website, with access to their reports by clicking on photos.

We focus on important barriers to the development of the students in our partner schools: lack of opportunity, and lack of mentoring support. We give support to a wide range of young people who face socio-economic barriers to personal progress, who usually come from areas of London where there is a poverty of experience and the cultural and social capital that employers often look for. The scheme helps students develop soft skills and confidence and offers networking opportunities through our developing alumni scheme.

The process of granting awards occurs over an average of six school visits: we present at assemblies to generate interest and inspire applicants; we give workshops with interested applicants, talking through their ideas and commenting on draft applications using our general guidelines; and students formally present applications to the Executive Trustee for judging.

The Board of Trustees has established a new three-year business plan to expand our reach. The key components of the School Awards Project Coordinator role will be to expand the School Award scheme, and to increase retention of schools until the end of the project cycle - with a view to helping deliver our target of granting 115 school awards by the end of academic 2019/202019. (In the 2018/2019 academic year, we are on track to give 90 school awards, involving about 300 beneficiaries.)

We are seeking a talented and energetic individual to further expand and deepen our work in schools, who has the initiative and flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of a small but rapidly growing charity. We have existing relationships with 72 partner schools across London, and the post-holder will be expected to deepen and sustain these, as well as recruit and build relationships with new schools.

There will be a substantial amount of outreach work in schools.

The post-holder will manage the grant-awarding project cycle from school recruitment through to gathering data from award winners upon completion of their challenge. The post will involve coordination and relationship building with two main groups: (1) teachers in partner schools and (2) our young beneficiaries, the award winners. The role will include helping to develop our profile and presence on platforms such as social media and the internet.

The role offers the chance to shape and drive the overall strategy to take the charity to a sustainable level. There is the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of the charity’s operations around the candidate’s own interests, to the fundraising strategy. The post is three to four days a week, with scope for flexibility for the right candidate.

Key duties in this varied role may include:

To re-engage existing or previously engaged schools for the next academic year

experience and understanding of working with schools, preferably secondary and/or FE

experience of working on a small team or for a small charity

a driver’s license

Terms and conditions

Salary is dependent on experience and will be paid on a self-employed freelance basis to the range of £26,600 – £35,000 pa pro rata (paid as a daily rate ranging from £100 to £140 a day). There will be a 3-month probationary period. The post will be based in Southwark with frequent travel to schools across Greater London. Flexible working will be considered. The post-holder reports to the Executive Trustee.

How to apply

Please complete and return the application form before 24 August 2019, with a CV, a short statement to explain why you are interested in the role and how you meet the person specification, and a filled-in application form.

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